Keprigeeatoe countek



P. C. JENSEN;

REFRIGERATOR COUNTER: APPLICATION FILED SEPT.-26; 1921;

1,434,544, Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

Patented Nov. 7, 1922;

been stares amen PALIEENT PETER C. JENSEN, ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

REFRIGERATOR COUNTER.

Application filed September 26, 1921. Serial No. 503,270.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER G. JENSEN, a citizen of the United States, res1d1ng at St.

Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerator Counters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto improvements in refrigerator display counters, of the proteeted, or in other words, closed type, where- I food stuffs of like character, which require to be surrounded by air of low'temperatures for their preservation, as distinguished from the semi-protected refrigerator counters for displaying meats and vegetables wherein the foodstuffs can be laid directly upon the refrigerating elements, such as refrigerator coils and ice packs.

A further object of the invention isthe provision of a refrigerator counter adapted to be positioned immediately between the buyer and the salesman, so that the articles on display may be closely inspected by the buyer and be readily accessible by the salesman, without removing them from the refrigerator chamber, means being provided" whereby the heavier displayed. articles may be conveniently withdrawn from the refrigerator chamber on a level with the counter top, for the purpose of extracting quantities as desired.

I have found it impractical to display large bulks of butter and cheese in'ordinary refrigerator counters of the enclosed. type,-

where the refrigerator eleinei'it, such. as broken ice or ice machine coils, are located on the level with or below the counter top, for the reason that a large bulk of butter as it comes out of a butter tub, begins to soften at the top in ordinary summer temperatures.

Further, some types of cheese require rela tively low temperatures, and as it is desirable to display cheese of various types in chunks piled upon one another, so that at times the pile will extend well into the upper interior of the refrigerator chamber, it is important that the cooling coils be located in the uppermost part of the main cooling chamber,

beneath the t so that the cooled air may fall from above, upon and around. the articles below.

it a further object of the invention to provide a refrigerator chamber above the counter top, so that its contents may be conveniently visible to the perspective buyer,

I wherein the lowest temperature will exist in the uppermost interior of the chamber so that the cooled air may fall as stated, in the foregoing, from above over the contents of the chamber andfrom that point to the auxiliary display chambers below the counter Other objects of the invention will be pointed out throughout the specification, the invention consisting in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

l;n the accompanying part of this specification Flgurel is a perspective view of a refrigerator counter embodying my invention, parts being broken away to show the interior thereof.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 22 of Fig. l, and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevation.

In the drawings A designates a counter having front and rear, preferably parallel, walls 1 and 2, end walls 3, and a top plate 4, said top plate extending rearwardly beyond the rear wall 2, so tov form a work table or counters for the salesman. At its forward edge the top plate 4-, is spaced from drawings forming the wall 1, to form a gap or fine 55, disposed longitudinally of the counter. The front wall A is preferably constructed with glass panels to render the contents visible, while the rear wall 2 is constructed preferably below the work table L, with a plurality of glazed doors 6. ilbove the counter top is the glassed-in casing B, formed preferably with an inhangers 13, whereon are supported the refrigerator machine coils 14.

'As is best shown in Figure 1, these coils extend through the end wall 3 into the inte- .rior of the chamber C, along the underside of the rails 11-, the coils have a return bend at 15, and extending through the wall 3 to a suitable refrigerator plant, not shown.

It will be noted, that the forward coils lie immediately beneath the rail 12 and be hind the rail 16 of the wall 7, so as to be thereby concealed from view from the outside, whereby the show case is rendered neat in appearance.

Approximately 011 the level with the top l: of the counter and extending inwardly and downwardly from the front wall and adjacent the gap 5, is the baflle plate or deflector 17, which extends longitudinally of the counter. This baffle plate extends into the auxiliary storing chamber D, the latter having suitable shelf division 18, for displaying foodstuffs. iitS indicated by the arrows in Figure 2, the cold air falls downwardly upon the foodstuffs and descends through the gap 5 into the chamber D below. The shelf extends forwardly, its front edge being spaced from the front wall 1 to form a longitudinal opening 19 through which the cold air falls to the lowermost portion of the chamber D.

E designates the contents of a tub of butter in inverted position, the top portion thereof being in the coldest portion ofthe tar refrigerator chamber C, and resting; upon a wheeled truck 20, adapted to travel on the tracks 21 said tracks being disposed transversely of the counter-top. Thus, the butter is conveniently withdrawn to be out, while it is also convenient for the buyer to closely inspect same, as distinguished from the usual custom of having tubs of butter on display in a refrigerator behind the salesman and far removed from the buyer.

I claim:

In refrigerator, the combination of an upper display chamber, a lower display chamber, shelf in the lower display chamber, said shelf and the floor of said upper chamber terminating short of the front walls of said chambers to provide communicating passages between said chambers and above and below the shelf, cooling means located in the upper chamber, and a baflle inclining from the front wall of the lower display chamber rearwardly beneath the floor of said upper display chamber whereby the cool air currents flowing downwardly from the upper chamber will be deflected rearwardly in the lower display chamber above the shelf prior to passing into the space beneath the shelf.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

PETER C. JENSEN. 

